Endings and Beginnings
by Oxymoronic Alliteration
Summary: This was inspired by A Very Potter Senior Year and what it means to leave behind Hogwarts, as seen through the eyes of Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and Harry, as well as seeing the beginning of Hogwarts through the eyes of the next generation of Hogwarts students.


He had always dreamed of this day coming, the day when he would officially enter the wizarding world, no longer as a child, but as a man, an equal to all of the great men and women who had come before him. He had so many plans, so much ambition, and was ready to get out and make his mark on the world. He and Elphias had been planning their Grand Tour for months, working out all of the details until they knew them in their sleep, and now Albus was excited that it was all so near.

He was sad to be leaving Hogwarts, of course. He had truly come to regard it as his home over the past seven years. He had lived and learned there, had found his voice and talents. There were many things he would miss: his friends, his house, the teachers, the classes. He would miss the familiarity of it all, the routine he had fallen into there. Above all, he would miss the wonder and excitement it had brought him each and every day, for no one day at Hogwarts ever proved to be like the other. Much like life, Albus thought the castle still had so much left to be learned, so much that had gone undiscovered, so much that would always remain a mystery to him.

Perhaps he would return one day to Hogwarts; but he knew that returning would not be the same. He would not longer be the pupil, but the teacher, seeing that a new generation of witches and wizards could find a home in Hogwarts, a place for laughter, love, and learning. For now, though, he had to leave it behind, had to move on to the next great adventure in his life.

Albus knew that no matter how long he stayed away, Hogwarts would always be there to welcome him back.

* * *

He had been dreading this day from the moment he had first stepped foot into Hogwarts. This was the day he would be forced out, made to enter the outside world. It wasn't finding work that frightened him; he had already been given many offers by the Ministry of Magic itself, but he had no interest in pursuing any such careers.

No, what Tom Riddle wanted more than anything was to stay at Hogwarts. This was his home, the only one he had ever had (as he couldn't stomach the idea of counting the muggle orphanage as any sort of home). Hogwarts was where he had found himself, had been taught that he was special, that he was above all of the other children he had been forced to live with in the orphanage. It was at Hogwarts where he found his history, discovered his father, whom he had blamed for putting him in this sorry state. At Hogwarts, Tom had learned ever facet of magic and sorcery he could, he had made himself one of the most prominent students the school had ever seen, and the thought of now having to leave his home made his stomach churn.

In an act of desperation, he had gone to Headmaster Dippet and asked to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, assuming he had shown enough competency and skill to qualify. He was shocked when Dippet had shaken his head, proclaiming him too young for the position, though telling him to apply again in a few years. It had taken everything Tom had not to sneer at the old coot as he said he understood. But he didn't understand. He had done everything to prove himself worthy of staying on at Hogwarts as a professor and they were mad to think him unqualified. No doubt Dumbledore was behind this, as Tom well knew that the old professor was suspicious of him.

Tom had never had any intention of leaving Hogwarts. Leaving Hogwarts would mean it was time to enter adulthood, time to grow older, something Tom feared more than anything. He would not allow himself to grow old and die. He would cling to his youth for dear life, never allowing himself to succumb to the same weakness his mother had, the weakness he loathed her for. A witch allowing herself to die. It disgusted him.

In the end, he'd had no choice in the matter, had been thrust out into the world by force. But he vowed he would return, that he would one day make Hogwarts his again.

* * *

He had never really thought about leaving Hogwarts, truth be told. Harry had taken for granted that it would always be there for him. It wasn't even until after defeating Voldemort that the idea of leaving it behind for good even hit him.

Harry stood before the castle, which lay in ruins after the intense battle. He could still recall the awe of seeing it for the first time, sitting in a boat with Ron, Hermione, and Neville as all of the first years made their way across the Black Lake. The castle had stood there in all its glory with the night sky as a backdrop and the moon spotlighting it. For Harry, who had only ever known his cupboard to be a home, it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. In that moment, he had known that Hogwarts would be something special.

For six years he had called it his home. Six years of magic, friendships, and adventures, all of which had helped shape him into the man he was today. He had Hogwarts to thank for that, because he knew that without it he would have been forced into a miserable and dull existence under the Dursleys roof, never knowing that magic could exist. Hogwarts had been the place where he learned who he was and what he could accomplish, where people had treated him with love and compassion for the first time that he could remember. Harry had never known such a place of wonder could exist. He had always clung to it, sure that it would always be there, would always be a part of him. But now he saw that it was time for him to move on, time for him to let the next generation of witches and wizards find at Hogwarts what he had found.

He looked at the castle, feeling a twinge of sorrow. Hogwarts seemed so much the same, and yet so different. It wasn't that the castle looked as though it had been demolished; Harry knew that with some wand waving it would be as good as new. It simply struck him that Hogwarts was different because _he_ was different. He was not the frightened and uncertain 11-year-old boy who had trembled as he had walked through the Great Hall for the first time, shaking as the Sorting Hat was plopped atop his head. He was an adult now, no longer afraid. He had grown up and that meant allowing himself to move on.

He would not return to complete his seventh year, as he knew Hermione was bound to. No, Harry knew that it was time for him to let go of Hogwarts. He had learned all he could from the school and that was good enough for him. It was time to move on to the next chapter in his life.

In the end it wasn't leaving the castle behind that saddened him; it was leaving behind the memories of all the happiness it had brought him. He would cherish those memories until the day he died, but he knew he should not cling to them, wishing for life to remain as it had been, because if one lives only for the past, they never take the time to appreciate the present and future.

Everyone grows up. No one can escape it. Harry would not try to.

* * *

James Sirius Potter looked out the window as the Hogwarts Express chugged along. He was quiet, which was odd for him. All he could think about was how much his life was about to change. For Hogwarts, he knew, was a special place, a place his parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents had spoken of many times. It was where his father had discovered himself; where his mother had battled inner demons; where his uncle Ron had found his confidence; where his aunt Hermione had learned many things, including the fact that learning doesn't always come from a book.

James knew that he was in for a wonderful seven years. His father had hugged him goodbye on Platform 9 ¾, blinking back tears as he told James how happy he was that James would now get to go to the place that had changed his life so many years ago.

James was nervous, but excited, ready for life's next adventure to begin.

* * *

**AN:** Thank you all for reading! I've never really done much Harry Potter fanfiction, but watching AVPSY just inspired me to write this. I think we can all agree that even though the books and movies are done and we may have "left" Hogwarts, there will always be a new generation behind us who will discover Harry Potter for the first time, and that's what is so beautiful about the fandom.


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